Tim Francis was the International Officer for one year, then Equities & Diversity Officer for two years at Plymouth College of Art.

The area of multiculturalism as a systematic and comprehensive response to cultural and ethnic diversity is applied. Educational, linguistic, economic and social components are all catered for within the delivery framework.

Generally the workshops accommodate offenders, ex-offenders, youth-at-risk of offending, refugee groups and other marginalised groups. Involving working closely with alcohol-related abuse and dependency.

This provides job creation, training and building skills in Plymouth and South-West local community.

Establishing cross-agency effective partnerships at regional and national level. Incorporating alliances with the corporate, civic, voluntary and faith sectors.

Complying with Ministry of Justice Department's Strategic Objectives of supporting the effective management of offenders ; with the values encouraged by Government's practice of allowing social enterprises to be enablers of effective community engagement.

Streamlining performance/management requirements.

Opportunity to mainstream this as an effective scheme.

Strengthening holistic services and approaches.

More consistent procurement and contracting.

Establishing mechanisms for sharing what works and good practice in relation to partnership working, funding, commissioning and procurement.

Establishing basis for equality and diversity embedded through the framework of delivery and client/offender re-engagement within society.

AFRICAN DRUMMING

The AFRICAN DRUMMING workshops provide the clients with the environment to engage in rhythmical exercises that aid concentration, focus, reflection, and social cohesion in a relaxed setting.

This has been documented as a means of recovery, rehabilitation, educational and psychosocial development. (Layman, Hussey & Laing, 2002)

The goal areas are intimacy of learning, social skills, pro-social behaviour and awareness and expression of emotions. These goals parallel areas of need to reduce risk of recidivism aided by the increased positive self-realisation.

Results of cognitive-behavioural interventions show that this helps the client adapt to skills training. Allowing to significantly reduce symptoms of anxiety associated with social phobia. (Albao, Marten, Holt, Heamberg, & Barlow, 1995)

Linking probation with social enterprise as suggested as part of DCPT Engage programme as community hub based service.

PRESS-RELEASE is registered with CLINKS

Clinks supports, represents and campaigns for the Voluntary and Community Sector working with offenders in England and Wales. Included in their Clients' Partnership Finder (A supply chain and consortia directory for Prime, commissioners and the VCSE.)This enables their Transforming Rehabilitation programme to link the Industry Standard Partnering Agreement (ISPA) – the contract that Tier 1’s (Prime Providers) will be required to use when subcontracting. The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) intends to compete 21 contracts for the provision of services for low- to medium-risk offenders across England and Wales.These contracts will be commissioned nationally and will correspond to 21 Contract Package Areas (CPAs) of which Devon & Cornwall subscribes.

Tim Francis is registered with ARTS ALLIANCE who promote arts in the criminal justice service. Re-imagining futures: Exploring arts interventions and the process of desistance."I am grateful for the work of the Arts Alliance members in providing access to broader learning opportunities for prisoners...This can help offenders break the depressing cycle of re-offending and contributes to the reforms we are making in prisons and rehabilitation."(Jeremy Wright, September 2013 - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Justice)

The Arts Alliance is the national body for promoting arts in the Criminal Justice System.The membership is made up of artists, arts and Criminal Justice System groups and individuals who work across art-form with prisoners, those on probation and ex-offenders in the community, with impressive results.Arts organisations provide a vital part of the rehabilitation process for offenders.The arts intervention programmes Press-Release deliver enables existing offenders to envisage a life outside of their imprisoned environment with an ability to re-engage with society.

Best value and social return. Society re-engagement reflection Best value and social return. Society re-engagement reflection learned and transferred as self-worth and rehabilitation aid including alleviating recidivism rate.

Personal Effectiveness and Employability Through the Arts.

Awareness-raising for relevant staff within the prisons and probation services.

Monitoring and evaluation of delivery model.

Strengthening NOMS understanding of the role of social enterprise in difficult delivery areas.

Raising profile of DCPT and third sector partnership.

Identifying and developing innovative ways of working to enable DCPT & Social Enterprises to overcome structural barriers for development and growth as service providers.

With regard to particular art learning skills and application connected with protective characteristics, such as age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, maternity and pregnancy, race and ethnicity, religion and belief, sex (formally known as gender) and sexual orientation.

It will be monitored as per the Equality Act 2010

Managing the creative expression of the offenders and how this relates to their psychological understanding of re-engagement with society, due to personal interactivity.

The creative expression can help offenders’ therapy and provides a unique opportunity for repressed, poorly understood and destructive emotions to surface in a safe way .. and this can be monitored to show progress along the way. The locus of control aiding depression and moves toward self-efficacy will be overseen by means of self-monitoring and re-interpretation into their chosen art. This will be encouraged by means of discretionary behaviour through creative expression preceded by their deliberate and careful deliberation to do so. This is a recognised way to understand the first steps of individual behaviour combining self-esteem and human interactions. This will involve the good practice journey of developing a sustainable model for arts interventions.

The series of Film Workshops provide the client with the skills to collate information, disseminate and structure narrative or linear images into a framework to outline a story. This enables the reflection needed, to assess the project's parameters, within the cognitive-behavioural context of their own lives. Thus creating an understanding of how they will in turn, reshape their own re-entry into society. This will be most relevant with their training of the Film Editing processes with a learned ability to reshape and align mistakes, misrepresentations and previously incorrect actions.

These provide opportunities for the clients to explore their creativity through film and to present a positive view of their achievements, giving them a voice. The workshops offer more than just filmmaking. The people involved are able to develop a range of new technical skills such as camera and editing techniques as well as developing transferable skills in communication, working together and problem solving. These opportunities improve confidence, behaviour, motivation and belief in their abilities.

The future series of art workshops will extend to cover cross-medium disciplines.Painting, Sculpting, Music, DJ'ing, VJ'ing, Ceramics, Creative Writing, Performance Art, Animation, Photography, Theatre performance/direction/costume/production - will all be developed locally and replicated nationally and eventually internationally, with the network of art intervention for offenders created by the European NGO's collaborated with during and post-conferences in France, Croatia and Austria.

Press-Release answers Devon & Cornwall Probation Trust's commissioning needs of engaging directly as a community hub arts based recidivism programme. Complying with NOMS and DOMS areas of suggested social enterprise third sector delivery programmes. Cross-medium art workshops facilitated by qualified artists aiming for a European recognised Edexcel qualification, based on 'Superact's S.E.P.E. programme of training. (Supporting Employability and Personal Effectiveness).

Tim Francis took part in two international conferences for delivering art intervention to offenders. He attended and took accredited training to deliver Art Workshops. These included talks and discussions with Dutch and European policy makers, artists and employers. All shining their light on the arts contribution to desistence, employability and the potential for learning through the arts. ROTTERDAM 2012http://www.peetaproject.com/programme.html

UNLOCKING SKILLS FOR A NEW LIFE

The Arts supporting Employability and Personal Effectiveness

Presentations of PEETA partners: Promidea Social Cooperative from Italy, Kocaeli Agency for European Projects from Turkey and Wiener Vorstadttheater from Austria. Short video’s, results and impact. Panel interviews.Presentation by PEETA Portugal. Theatre group PELE presents its work and results. Performance in Parliament, certificates handed out by President of the Parliament.

BORDERS inside/outside – Conference on artistic creation in Europe with offenders and prisoners.

Prison walls are both real and symbolic. When you pass through these walls, you inevitably ask yourself about the things that separate and unite us. Borders, Inside/Outside features creates by artists, prison inmates (those on the inside) and free people (those on the outside). The programme deals with the geographical, generational, social and cultural aspects of this theme.

SUSTAINABILITY.

This programme of Art Intervention is extremely sustainable as it fits the governments’ view of enabling third sector/social enterprises to deliver recidivism aimed projects.

Engaging as a sub-contract service provider Press-Release will be able to align and partner with larger tiered organisations with their bids to the new 21 C.R.C.’s Community Rehabilitation Companies to be developed in 2014.

This project is more agile and responsive than other statutory bodies that are limited by rules and regulations, to deliver such a service. Enabling adaptation to any necessary policy shifts or new technologies and methodologies.

More of a cultural fit as acknowledged that offenders feel more comfortable with third sector/ social enterprise led initiatives as a service provider. (Especially among black, Asian and minority ethnic groups, women or those with disabilities.) It is recognised that this sector is perceived as more caring and with a better appreciation of offender needs.

The provision of this niche specialist expertise is not available internally within the probation service generally. This is a good indication of its need and value permanently.

By its very nature this service will forge links with other third sector or social enterprise providers, with extensive links with other organisations that will benefit offenders.

This facility will therefore act as a portal to a range of other support services complimenting this sector’s track record for innovation and creativity.

This bespoke service can be tailored to meet gaps in provision and is deeply rooted in the local community.

Offenders have the always have the chance and opportunity to put something back in the community and regain their self-esteem. The actual engagement via social enterprises can play a key role in reintegrating offenders into community life.

FUTURE COLLABORATIONS.

This service is to become part of the Transforming Rehabilitation (T.R.) aimed toward the new bids for the Ministry of Justice (MoJ ‘s) national 21 Contract Package Area

The MoJ and NOMS have expressed their desire to see the the VCSE Sector play a full role in the new arrangements.- either as a sub-contractor or in another organisation’s supply chain or as part of a consortium arrangement. The Devon & Cornwall and Dorset C.P.A. and the Plymouth Delivery Unit will be the major resource for this project to combine as a Tier 3 partner for the Prime Providers in their appropriate bids.

This project is beneficial to the area of recidivism that is necessary to fulfill the MoJ/NOMS contracts based on both ‘fee

for service’ and ‘payment by results’ (PbR) ..As there are statistics over a 17 year period which prove that clients involved in this particular type of Art Intervention will only re-offend at a 4% rate rather than the 60% national rate.

There are plans to replicate this service nationally and internationally with established NGO’s already sourced and networked.

It will also be available as Art Therapy to Alzheimer’s groups and psychiatric units, prisons and asylum/refugee detention centres

SYNERGY.

Within the proposed framework of the New Probation Institute the opportunities for synergy are greatly enhanced. As a centre of excellence for the probation and wider rehabilitation sector this social enterprise project is ideal as a partner organisation.

Realising and promoting this project as an accredited treatment/arts intervention programme for combined community and probation settings. Advocacy of this project as an extremely ‘fit for purpose’ project would serve to benefit the needs of the client and the end user...namely :- society at large.

JOINT COMMISSIONING OPPORTUNITIES.

This works especially well with prisons, youth offending teams, councils, health provides, community safety partnerships, charities, other social enterprises and/or CIC’s..

There is a natural progression to align with the Arts Alliance in general…

Clinks in particular..and locally in Plymouth with the

Plymouth Delivery Unit at St Catherine’s House;

Lawson House in Stoke;

Hamoaze House at Mount Wise;

Shekina Mission in Bath St;

Harbour Drugs and Alcohol Services, at Mutley;

Turnaround Integrated Offender Management Scheme, Mutley;

DCRS in Whimple St

REFERRAL PROCESS & DATA STORAGE ARRANGEMENTS.

This is by computer, telephone, verbal and written communication.

The data storage and privacy procedures are followed at all times and safeguards to ensure information will only be used for the purpose for which it was obtained.

Anonymise data where unidentifiable data will serve the purpose.

Keep disclosures to the minimum or where advised is appropriate (on a need to know basis)

Information only shared with the consent of the person involved.

Service users and workshop facilitators are advised why and whom information concerning clients can be shared, to enable informed consent to be obtained.

All confidential information is safeguarded against unauthorised disclosure. (e.g. –having passwords on computers that are changed regularly and procedures to check telephone callers).

DATA PROTECTION POLICY

1 ...Processing personal data fairly and lawfully

2…Processing personal data for specified purposes and not a way incompatible with those purposes.

3…To ensure that personal data is adequate, relevant and not excessive for those purposes.

4…To ensure that data is accurate and kept up to date.

5…To ensure that personal data is kept no longer than is necessary for the purpose for which it is processed.

6…To process personal data in accordance with the rights of individuals.

7…To process personal data in a secure environment.

8…Not to transfer personal data anywhere that does not offer an adequate level of protection…

The emphasis being placed risk identification, risk assessment and risk management in relation to success of project.

EQUITY & DIVERSITY POLICY.

Policy Statement:

PRESS-RELEASE is committed to encouraging diversity and eliminating discrimination in both its role as Employer and provider of services including Art Workshops.

PRESS-RELEASE aims to create a culture that respects and values each others’ differences, that promotes dignity, equality and diversity and that encourages individuals to develop and maximise their true potential. Also committed wherever practicable to achieving and maintaining a workforce that broadly reflects the local community in which we operate.

Purpose:

The purpose of this policy is to provide equality and fairness for all in our employment and in the provision of our services to clients and customers. On the grounds of gender, marital status, race, ethnic origin, colour, nationality, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, religion or age.

SAFEGUARDING POLICIES.

Providing a recruitment policy and procedure that incorporates the best practice towards client and customers and other artist colleagues and staff.

Making appropriate referrals of children, young persons and vulnerable adults to social/community services or Police/Probation or NSPCC where there are concerns of abuse.

Regarding sexual relationships between clients, customers and staff. This is unacceptable and a breach of contract and position of trust

Maintain appropriate DBS checks on all staff and workshop facilitators.

DUE DILIGENCE ISSUE.

There is no due diligence issue connected to prudence within general governance for risk management processes, budget or reputation; especially during consideration of collaboration/partnering. The gathering of important legal, operational and staffing information and the low risk of integration compliment this. This programme demonstrates value and low liabilities and the overall performance will have a concentrated positive effect towards developing self-esteem and psychosocial integration for clients and lowering the recidivism rate.

The Integrated Probation Performance Framework and the Social Enterprise’s aims and objectives are totally compatible for Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership.